It’s not really thought to be a topic of ‘polite conversation’. But we really should, because despite the apparent taboo, 1 in 3 women aged 35 and over suffers from light bladder leakage. If we talked about it, perhaps we would do more about it! It’s Not Just About Leaking If you don’t deal with your leaky undercarriage, you may have more to worry about than changing your underwear… Sex could be less pleasurable and uncomfortableFuture pregnancies may cause greater traumaThe weakness and related issues may result in a prolapse or hernia Wee leakage is a ‘red flag’ – a sign that shouldn’t be ignored, no matter how embarrassing you find it, it’s essential to face up to the problem and get cracking on finding a solution before the situation gets worse.

It’s Not ‘Normal’ and It’s Not ‘OK’ If you leak, wet yourself or worse when you run, jump or workout – then your body is telling you something.
Pelvic Floor Demystified. Zosia Mamet Gets Real About Being Diagnosed With Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. "For six years it felt like I had the worst UTI of my life," Girls star Zosia Mamet told the crowd at AOL's Makers Conference in Los Angeles Monday.

The actress said she struggled for years as doctor after doctor misdiagnosed what she now knows to be pelvic floor dysfunction. Mamet's main symptoms were "insane urinary frequency" and pain during sex (it felt like "a hot poker up my vag," she said). As doctors struggled to treat her symptoms—she said one prescribed six weeks of an antibiotic for an STD that made Mamet gain weight and feel depressed; another apparently poured acid into her vagina—and their tests came up negative, more and more physicians told her she was imagining her illness. "They told me I was crazy," she told the crowd at the conference, which describes itself as "a storytelling platform for the trailblazing women of today and tomorrow.
" The first female physician Mamet saw ("in great Balenciaga boots," she recalls) is the one who promised to help her.

Help for Pelvic-Floor Dysfunction. Women tend to think of the pelvic floor with regard to sex and continence, but you may not realize pelvic-floor muscles play a major role in core stabilization and injury prevention, says Kara Vormittag, M.D., a sports medicine physician in Park Ridge, Illinois.

“These muscles, along with the rest of your core, are responsible for stabilizing your pelvis and thorax through movement," she says. "If any component of your core breaks down, you risk injury when you move.
" Vormittag believes pelvic-floor dysfunction is a common contributor to injury among female runners. “In my world, as a sports medicine physician who treats mostly female athletes, pelvic-floor dysfunction is an epidemic,” she says.

Statistics show at least one in every four women reports having one or more pelvic-floor disorders, defined as urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse.
YOGA FOR HEALTHY AGING: Treatment of Incontinence: The Physio-Yoga Therapy Approach. 'Tightly Wound' Explores Vaginismus And Combats Stigma Around Pelvic Pain. If there's one women's health issue that rarely gets talked about, it's vaginal pain.

Vaginismus is a condition where muscle spasms in the vagina make penetrative sex painfully unbearable. But one Texas-based documentary filmmaker hopes to break down stigma with Tightly Wound, a short film about vaginismus and her experiences with female sexual dysfunction. Around two out of 1,000 women will have vaginismus in their lifetime, but many women hesitate to seek treatment out of embarrassment, according to Vaginismus.com.

"I want people to feel less alone, whether they have pelvic floor dysfunction or not," Shelby Hadden, 25, tells Bustle about her film project. "I don't see a ton of narratives about these experiences out there, and I want to talk about expectations around gender and dating and sexuality.
" The film, currently in pre-production mode, is based on a personal essay that Hadden wrote for BUST Magazine in September, titled, "So Tight I Can't Have Sex: My Life With Vaginismus.
"
The Ultimate Pelvic Anatomy Resource: Articles, Links, and Videos, Oh My!
Ever wanted a resource with articles, pictures and videos of pelvic anatomy all in the same place?

Here it is! I’ve been putting this together for a while and am very excited to share this with you! This resource will evolve and update as new, exciting links are found. The content ranges from basic articles to in-depth anatomical reviews.
Do you love to run and also love your pelvic floor? (interview with Marika Hart) - Julie Wiebe PT. I sat down for a chat with Marika Hart of Herasphere about all things pelvic floor, running, sports specificity, and more!

Here are some of the gems we covered in this interview (from the Herashere.com blog): why some postural changes in pregnancy are NORMAL and when it becomes problematic.
What Dating With Vaginismus Is Like. Between dealing with sketchy messages on dating apps and IRL awkwardness, finding a lover is nerve-wracking and confusing work for anyone.

But when you add sexual disability into the mix, things can get that much more challenging. As someone with a painful sex condition, I can confirm that dating with vaginismus can be pretty scary. Since I couldn't experience penetration (something I've known since age 12, after a failed attempt at inserting a tampon), I was afraid that dating any person with a penis might lead to being rejected or hurt. This fear was only further exacerbated by one boy who I had been sleeping with towards the beginning of college, who sexually assaulted me after I rejected his insistence on vaginal penetration. In addition to the fear that I carried around from this trauma, I also had to deal with a slew of basic sexual expectations that dominate the media and the framework of most sexual interactions.

Images: Andrew Zaeh/Bustle (2)
What is a Hypertonic (Tight) Pelvic Floor? - Julie Wiebe PT. If you have stopped to read this blog you are likely… 1.